Right and Wrong
by Hellmouth23
Summary: Jack’s a newly assigned T.A. working in the Arts of Science department at UCLA. His main goal in life is to become a Doctor someday. Now will he strive to make that a reality or is the real dream a lot closer than he would have anticipated. JATE AU Fic!
1. Chapter 1

**Right and Wrong **

**Hey guys!! Back with a new fic that's always been on my mind. So much so that I had written a rough draft of it the other night. So now I've decided to add it to my list of never ending fics, hehe ; and if anyone else has touched on this premise or done something similar to it then I'm sorry. Hope you guys will like it and as always your feedback is more than welcome ;)**

**Summary : Jack's a newly assigned T.A. working in the Arts of Science department at UCLA. His main goal in life is to really become a Doctor someday. Now will he strive to make that a reality or is the real dream a lot closer than he would have anticipated.**

**Disclaimer. Do NOT own lost or any of it's characters, especially Jack and Kate as that is boldly stated in the restraining order I was issued lol.**

**BTW : Claire's character might seem a little OCC in this fic but there is a reason for it.**

Enjoy

The sun was just about visible to signify the proper start of the day but he was too wired to sleep it off until then. His nerves managing to get the better of him yet again, but thanks to the constant support he gained from his best friend Marc the entire time, he was brave enough to take this step. A step he assured him was the best way to move on from the nightmare of his past. One that had held him back from pursuing what he wanted out of life.

5 hours, 32 minutes, 3 seconds later and he was rushing around the entire scatter he still called a living room. A thing he still meant to clear up, but of course he never got around to doing it. Never the less he miraculously managed to find what he needed for his first day, and with checking over his things once more, he nodded to himself in satisfaction and left his apartment. Bracing himself for what was to come with this new life.

(Meanwhile)

"So, same old people eh?" she heard a voice speak and then sigh behind her, but the humour and familiarity within their tone was what restricted her from going on the defensive. Instead all she did was partially turn herself around to acknowledge this person's presence. The gesture earning her a half hearted chuckle.

"So what did you do over the summer?" the person then asked as they placed themselves directly beside the brunette. Them having to then catch up with the brunette's pace as she walked down to her first class which she was already running late for. Three years later and she was still worried about things like this. Despite the exclusive facilities they got for being Seniors. One of them being that they could walk into class at any time. Although that was more so Claire's way of thinking.

_That's a good start to a new semester,_ the brunette kept on telling herself while she also tried to think and sum up what she had been up to over the holidays. Well most of it was spent at her boyfriend's house, due to the fact that her parents were fighting once again. Although these days the fights they had branched more into the physical variety.

At one point her own Father had her by the throat, ready to end her right there and then after yet another night of drinking, but thankfully her Mother had put herself between and on the line for her. The outcome of this disruption leading her to gain another nasty black eye, and still the brunette wondered why she still stayed with him. _Was love that blind?,_ she wondered, and if so what was the thing that made it worth fighting for.

"Kate? Earth to Kate…..helloooo."

"Huh….oh what, um…. what's that?" the thinking woman stuttered to ask as she tried to get a hold on her flowing thoughts. Each one still not making sense to her in the slightest and in the end all she got out of it was a headache.

"Well I was just saying………Oh my God who is that." the blonde woman started off and then finished in a purring like manner. Her eyes already taking note to survey every detail of the more than pleasing sight she was witnessing at the moment.

The brunette on the other hand just rolled her eyes at the blonde's never ending flirtatious streak. I swear sometimes she was ten times worse than a man. Never the less she just laughed it off and literally dragged the blonde along with her to class instead.

"Spoil my fun why don't you." the blonde stated with a pout as she reluctantly continued onto class.

"Spoil your fun? Since when has that ever come in short supply for you." The smiling brunette replied with a raise of eyebrows, and before she could elaborate any further on that statement, the blonde then found herself being hugged from behind by her boyfriend of 10 months……..

"Hey Kate." the man offered the woman who stood beside his girlfriend looking on at the scene with a smile on her face. If only she could find something like that someday.

"Hey Charlie" the brunette replied in a normal and casual manner. Her sense of familiarity with these people showing ever so strongly through her tone.

"What are you doing here?" the blonde inquired breaking the moment of silence that followed after the friendly verbal exchange.

"Oh, nothing just wanna see my best girl off on her first day back. That... and to do this." the small blonde man started off and then paused to physically show her what he meant. Although they were forced to pull apart only minutes later. Not only cause it was considered public indecency on these grounds, but also cause of the dragged out _"awww" _coming from the brunette as well.

"Okay, okay enough with the _"awwws" _or I'll make you pay." the blonde warned the brunette with hint of a smile adorning her fair features.

"Yeah right." Kate muttered, but it was clear enough for the blonde to hear and she was about to react, but thankfully the man behind her sensed what was about to erupt and with that he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back into his form. Her being forced to relinquish into his warmth, but secretly she was more than enjoying it.

"Awwww now that's sweet." was what the brunette said before she belted it down the rest of the corridor. The blonde now hot on her heels, and surprisingly it didn't take her long to catch up with the brunette. Being that she had collided with the very man she was eyeing earlier.

"Sorry." the green eyed woman attempted to offer while she lowered herself to help him with the scatter of papers that now lay on the floor.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." he coaxed while he too scrounged around for his abandoned notes. The brunette then taking note of what was on those papers as well.

"So are you one of those science nerds or something?" she expressed before her mind took the time to think of what she had just said, and before she could accompany her statement with a apology of some kind he was off. Leaving her to do nothing but beat herself up for saying the wrong thing yet again, and with a decent guy none the less.

"Wow, that was quick." the blonde commented with an expression of genuine shock adorning her features.

"Yeah" the brunette replied feeling nothing but regret for what she had done.

**So what do you think guys? Deserving enough for a continuation? It's all up to you guys!! Come next (possible) chap and we'll start to see some proper introductions and interactions between the main characters and who knows I may actually get to complete this one being that I pretty much know where I want to go with it, hehe. Although dont worry cause the jate will surface. At some points stronger than ever.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Thought it was about time I updated this fic hehe. So without further adieu here it is and thanks so much for the reviews guys.**

Enjoy

"Psych?" Kate questioned while contorting her face into a slightly displeasing expression.

"C'mon you said you were open to trying new things and plus you can use it for your Science requirement." Claire explained, hoping that she wouldn't be the only one wearing the "smarty pants" in the family as she was so commonly labeled by the members in her family, including Kate at one point.

"I just don't wanna take on too much this year." The brunette stressed feeling like she had enough in her life at the moment to deal with.

"Please. Just give it a try and if you still don't like it then I promise I won't hold it against you."

"Fine" Kate relented yet again to the continuous pleas of the one person she could truly regard and trust as her friend.

* * *

"So how does it feel?"

"Uh…..scary is the first word to come to mind but I'm staying optimistic about the whole thing." The tall man explained feeling a tad uneasy with the way he was being eyed by the woman across from him. A woman he was going to be working with during this semester.

"Good to know." The woman commented with a bashful smile leaning against the edge of her desk to fully concentrate on the gorgeous man before her.

He was slightly intimidated to say the least, but he was more weirded out with the way she was already acting around him. She was considerably older than he was but still tried to make herself look at least 10 years younger which creeped him out even more.

_Is this the reason she gave me the job in the first place?_ He wondered at first but soon dismissed it as being nothing but too over analytical about everything.

"So what made you choose UCLA?"

"Uh…..well it seemed to offer the best options at the time and the people are quite friendly here as well."

"Yeah, well it's nice to have someone lively and young for a change." She commented, winking at him in a teasing fashion at mentioning the word "young", and he didn't know whether to take it as a compliment or as a cue for him to leave before things got out of hand. The latter turned out to be a clear winner, especially when she amped her advances by approaching him to presumably convey something but he certainly wasn't interested or the least bit attracted to this kind of lewd behavior. It wasn't in his nature or plans for that matter.

"Thanks, Professor Burke."

"Please, call me Julie." She corrected him feeling the need to do so in an effort to make her intentions clear despite it being one sided at this point.

_For now_ , she thought to herself as she watched him vacate her office.

* * *

"Wow, think I think I might need a bigger back pack or perhaps a massive sack when I'm done." Kate stated as she was literally piled with a load of books relating to the courses she taken, one of them of course being……….

"An introduction to Psychology" Claire read off the list and then went about checking the shelf to see if there were any copies still available and thankfully there were but at an unreachable level.

"I'll get it." Kate offered when she witnessed Claire's discomfort, not even taking into account that she wasn't that much taller than the blonde herself. Never the less she was always up for a challenge and in the end it willed her to bring out the daredevil in her.

"Kate!! Come down before you hurt yourself" Claire cautiously warned the brunette when she proposed on climbing each shelf to get to the books which of course she managed to get in the end, but on the way down one of the shelves gave way and as a result it sent her crashing down, though just in time to be pulled away by a pair of arms.

_Oh my God,_ was all she kept on saying in her head, never having felt so scared in her entire life.

"KATE!! Are you alright?" Claire exclaimed while rushing over to her friend.

"Huh…uh, yeah as soon as my heart catches up with me I'll be fine." Kate replied still utterly entranced by what nearly happened and thankfully it didn't due to the pair of arms that rescued her. A pair of arms that belonged to none other than…….

_Crap, it's him, the science nerd..._

"Hi." Kate humbly offered feeling just a tad awkward for the most obvious reason of course.

"You okay?" he inquired while gazing deeply into her eyes for an honest answer.

"Yeah, it's just the books were too high and then everything went down." Kate explained and then bent down to clean up the mess her stunt had accidentally created. The man across from her then taking it upon himself to help her.

"Intro to Psych huh." The man mused as he picked up the book.

"Yeah, thought I would try it out."

"Well you have fun. Professor Burke…she's quite a character."

"You've taken it." Claire enthusiastically chipped in while she too helped out.

"I'm a T.A. I'll be helping the professor out. I'm Jack." He revealed with a warming smile that seemed to get infectious with the people around him, including Kate.

"Claire and this is Kate." The blonde responded wiping the smile off Kate's face completely.

"Well it's nice to meet you both."

"Yeah, I'm nice to meet. I mean you're…..Jack."

"That I am." Jack shot back growing quite amused by his assumed effect on the stuttering brunette.

"Anyway I gotta run but I guess I'll see you guys in class later. Ladies." He announced and then politely excused himself from their presence.

"Now that's one more reason we should be taking Psych." Claire commented and Kate just rolled her eyes, laughing it off but the blonde knew better.

**So there it is the second chappie to my Jate AU college fic, and yes I was heavily inspired by a certain scene from my other fav TV show of all time. The hint is in my username lol. So what do you think guys, yuppa or nuppa? lol**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Now here's where the fun starts…..**

**Thanks for the reviews guys :)**

Enjoy

"So do you know who your new roommate is?" Claire asked and it gave the brunette just one more reason to be jittery. Ever since what happened last year she secretly hoped and prayed that she would be issued her own dorm room this year, but she also knew that those kind of facilities were only offered to people such as T.A.'s and what not.

"Uh…not yet but I'm bracing myself for the worst, but I guess it can't be that bad right?"

Nothing could be worse than a roommate you later find out is one of the most wanted killers in the State.

* * *

She walked through the halls in search of her assigned dorm room number 416 and thankfully she not only found it, but she was the first one there, still hoping that it would remain that way. However the endless stack of expensive designer suitcases placed beside one of the beds within the room made her sigh in defeat, and of course her assumptions couldn't be more than accurate when she was finally graced with the presence of her seemingly snobbish roommate.

"Hi." Kate offered despite being ignored first hand by the woman.

All the blonde did in response was remove her abnormally large sunglasses, and then offer the slightest of smiles her face could offer in an attempt to not come off as a complete snob.

"I'm Kate."

"Shannon." The blonde replied feeling the need to be oddly charitable towards this woman and to a certain extent she felt why not, she is my roommate after all. Though she still strived to maintain the tough and slightly emotionless exterior after experiencing a lifetime of hell back home from the people she thought were her friends, but all they were really interested in was money, popularity and betting on who could lose their virginity first. She strongly believed that there was more to life than that once she realised how damaging those things could really be.

"So, it's, ah….it's a pretty nice room." Kate mused clearly in an attempt to make conversation and of course the blonde definitely had something to say about these living conditions judging by her extravagant possessions.

"A little cramped for my style but I'm sure a few good parties will make me forget all about it." Shannon joked and the brunette just raised her eyebrows in response, wordlessly drawing her own conclusions but still relatively thankful that she wasn't housed with a killer or voodoo priestess for that matter. Roommate nightmares she had unfortunately experienced during her time at UCLA.

"So what's your version of fun?" Shannon asked wanting to take the time to get to know her roommate.

What is fun, the brunette truly asked herself not really knowing when she last got to experience anything remotely fun or cheerful. Her boyfriend Tom seemed to be the closest thing to it but his life long dream to study medicine had weakened their relationship in more ways than one and in the end she had no choice but to respect it. Though that was just one of the reasons they drifted apart.

"Sorry, that wasn't supposed to be a stomper." The blonde apologised as the brunette sniffled her tears away.

"No, no it's okay."

From there on things had started to become considerably uncomfortable within the room, more so for Shannon who was at a loss in handling such things. So she did what she knew best, find something else to talk about.

"Is that your boyfriend?" she asked once her eyes suddenly landed on the photo frame.

"Kinda." Kate blurted it out before she took the time to realise it, and Shannon just knitted her eyebrows in confusion over such a statement.

"Kinda?"

"Long story." Kate simply revealed feeling the slightest sense of unease in spilling her troubles to someone she had only known for 15 minutes.

Thankfully Shannon got the message and dropped it there, leaving Kate to wonder just how long she could hide the truth.

* * *

The following day was the first of a new term and she wasn't quite sure what she so nervous about, but she was and all she could do was try to calm herself down and take this one step at a time.

So with that she went about her morning routine, quite shocked at the fact that she had to use a public bathroom, but she was briefly affirmed of what dorm life would be like, still it wasn't something she was used to.

Once she re entered her dorm room an entire hour later, she found the brunette's side of the room settled and empty causing for the previous days' occurrences to come back to her.

Things between her and the Kate had taken a more distant turn since she had unexpectedly touched on a sensitive spot with her, though in her defence how the hell was she supposed to know. Never the less it bothered her more than she would have liked, but all of it went out the window when she saw what time it actually was.

"God was I really in the shower that long?"

* * *

The scene before her was intimidating to say the least but she took some consolation in the fact that she was able to spot two people she knew within this mass of students.

"Guess a lot of people dig psych." She mumbled to herself and was just about to join Claire and Charlie when she was stopped by a voice that sent the slightest of shivers down her spine. A shiver she assumed was nothing but fear among other things.

"Hey." The tall man announced with a smile and Kate found herself naturally returning it.

"It's Kate right?" he checked as his mind failed to acquire a name to put alongside a smile he was convinced would melt any man's heart.

"Yeah, yeah it is." Kate replied feeling nervous for some reason but his presence also reminded her of something else.

"Uh, yesterday in the bookshop I um…..I never got the chance to thank you." She started out but was cut off when Jack chuckled in shyness of being offered this kind of gratitude.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad I was there at the time." He confessed causing for Kate to be the one blushing this time.

"You have fun in class today okay." He encouraged with a smile when the brunette failed to respond any further and with that he walked off towards his desk, leaving her standing like a bubbling fool.

(Meanwhile)

"What the hell happened there?" Claire whispered in astonishment of the scene she had just witnessed.

"Isn't it bloody obvious?" Charlie responded and was playfully smacked when he started to make love hearts with his hands.

**Come next chapter and Kate ** **is having a tough time and not just with College…… **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**And so the jate begins. Thanks** **for the reviews guys :)**

**P.S. ****"Blaze" is of course a made up club name of mine or at least I think it's made up lol.**

Enjoy

_Class is dismissed._

"You okay?" Claire thought to enquire out of friendly concern while gauging Kate's reactions the whole time. She couldn't seem to decipher whether the brunette's concentration lay more on the lesson itself or on the admittedly handsome T.A. leaning against the desk to the corner of the lecture room.

"Yeah." Kate responded in a half hearted manner due to the fact that she was still trying to remember the first word to come out of that Professor Burke's mouth.

"That bad huh" Claire guessed with a smile while nudging the brunette to do the same. Admittedly she too had a hard time following some of what was said during class but lucky for her she managed to collate a cliff notes version she knew Kate would probably be borrowing a lot.

"I think maybe they should have a College Professor to Student dictionary or in my case a basic "Dummy's guide".

"You're not dumb, you're just……" Claire strived to defend her friend but she found it considerably hard to come up with an explanation without hurting Kate's feelings in any way.

"Slow and mentally challenged." Kate guessed and earned nothing but a stern look from the woman beside her.

"So does the same apply for the T.A?" Claire then decided to ask clearly in a teasing fashion but she also did it to prove her assumptions right.

"Claire." Kate warned in a low tone, already knowing where this was going.

"C'mon I saw you checking him out during class." Claire pointed out what she felt was so blatantly obvious and to be honest how could she blame her.

_You've got __Charlie._

"What are we in high school?" Kate mused in sheer absurdity of being asked such a question.

"So we're not denying it." The blonde pointed out and took the hint to then drop it when Kate faced her with a look that could best be interpreted as "back off or you'll pay dearly".

It didn't matter whether she liked him or not, Tom was still in the picture despite what happened.

"Alright, alright I'll keep my nose out of it……for now" Claire stated and mumbled the last part to herself, but still strived to raise her hands in a physical forfeit.

"You coming tonight?" Kate then found herself being asked by the woman beside her and she couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows in confusion.

"Tonight?"

"Yeah, Charlie's band is playing at the Blaze tonight. I told you about that right?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah you did." Kate stuttered due to the fact that it truthfully slipped her mind. She of course didn't mean to but ever since the summer her mind had been plagued with nothing but worry, especially for her Mother.

"You're coming right?"

"I….." Kate started out but Claire to the punch with what she sensed was coming.

"Okay, what's the "but" this time?"

"Well smarty pants if you gave me a chance to finish; I was just gonna say that I've got couple of things to take care of first, but I will be there." Kate explained and evoked a sigh of relief from Claire. Her worry for Kate never seemed to fade and it grew all the more when her slime bag of a boyfriend left her to pursue something he was blatantly using as an excuse to get away from her, and all because of her family.

"Besides when have I ever missed a performance of my favourite band of all time." Kate joked and Claire just laughed out loud though equally touched by the brunette's constant support in both her boyfriend and their relationship. In fact it was through Kate itself that Claire met Charlie and also regained her faith in men in the process.

Now all Claire wanted was to return the favour.

"So what do you think of him?" she couldn't help but ask in an attempt to have something to work with here even if Kate asked her not to.

"Who?"

"Jack." Claire revealed and was pleasantly surprised to see a smile immediately form upon the brunette's face, but she quickly reverted to a serious expression once she became aware of Claire's observance of her.

"He's a nice guy I guess." Kate answered with a shrug and clearly Claire was not convinced that, that was all the brunette thought of the man. There was just something in that smile to suggest otherwise.

"And…."

"And I've known him for the majority of a day so I really can't give you anymore than that." Kate continued on, secretly hoping that the rather awkward subject would be dropped because she was emotionally distraught as it stands and adding anymore would surely cause a meltdown.

"Okay, I'm gonna head off to the library for a bit to try and wrap my head around some of these terms and theorems, and I'll meet you later on." Kate quickly made the excuse and Claire was left with no option but to drop what started to play one her mind once again.

Discussion over the subject was far from over though.

"Right, so don't forget the Blaze at 7.30."

"Got it." Kate confirmed with a smile and then walked off towards the direction of the one place she felt she could gather her thoughts.

* * *

The silence was really getting to her now but what more was to be expected within a library.

"Kate?" she suddenly heard her name being softly called out and the moment she lifted her head to make contact with the person, a warm smile surfaced of it's own volition. That along with a genuine sense of relief that there was one person here she hadn't pissed off with her rather noisy methods at studying. She had already broken three pencils with the frantic tapping.

"Hi." Was all she said and he also took that as an okay to sit himself down at her table.

"So what are you in this place for?" Kate enquired after maintaining a rather ridiculous eye staring contest with the man across from her who much to her amusement was equally committed at maintaining that eye contact.

"Grading papers." Jack explained while holding up the bundle she knew would take him quite some time to get through.

"Already?"

"Can you keep a secret?" Jack asked while looking both sides to see if he was being eaves dropped upon and the brunette couldn't help but chuckle to herself at his antics. Never the less she nodded her head in agreement, leaned in and played along.

"Wow, she's that bad huh." Kate stated after she got a hold of her giggles, especially with the way Jack described the person he was trying his hardest to get away from at this moment. Thankfully she was gullible or simply too awestruck to buy his excuse at the time.

"Understatement, but yeah she's definitely something and not in the good way." Jack mused in genuine fear of one Professor Juliet Burke.

"Need any help?" Jack asked as his eyes scanned the books opened out in front of Kate.

"With a brain enhancement, sure." She joked and he faced her with a sympathetic smile, wordlessly taking it upon himself to then help her out with all the help she needed and by the end of it she was thankful to say the least.

"A weird way to remember the term but who am I to question a T.A.'s logic eh." Kate teased and earned a playful nudge from the man beside her as they vacated the library, both shocked at the amount of time they had spent in there.

After the light hearted moment subsided, an awkward silence prevailed but that definitely wasn't the case with Kate who was itching to ask him something and wondering whether it was way out of line to do so.

_Here goes,_ she said to herself while taking a good long breath and wondering why she was stammering so much with this.

"You heard of the band Driveshaft?"

"Yeah, yeah sure. Why?" he answered clearly fibbing but wanting to come off cool and relatable.

"Well they're playing at the Blaze tonight and I was wondering whether you….." Kate asked while growing increasingly nervous by the second.

"Sounds fun. It's a date….um I…..I mean I'll be there." Jack confirmed in a stuttering fashion due to his bold choice of words, but much to his surprise and amusement the brunette just cowered to hide the blush creeping upon her cheeks.

_Nothing my ass_ , Claire mused to herself as she accidentally walked in on the two of them.

* * *

**Next chapter** **: Kate and Jack get to know each other a little more…….**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Thanks for the reviews guys and without further interruption here it is. The getting to know each other bit. As friends for now but we all know t****hat it's just a matter of time before one of them wants more.**

**BTW just wanted to let you guys know that the monologue I posted here on Kate's character "the man you need to know" got me a distinction in my acting class, hoo hoo lol.**

Enjoy

"_You all everybody, you all everybody." _

It was the formal welcome he received the moment he stepped foot into a kind of place he truthfully hadn't been to since College, which at the very recollection of it made him feel at least five years older, but he wasn't here to prove something like that wrong or anything. He was here to meet the girl he just caught sight of within this roaring crowd.

"KATE!!" he shouted her name when he guessed that going for the soft and civilized tone wouldn't really accomplish much.

In fact it took getting himself there and then placing his hand upon her shoulder to finally gain her attention and a surprised "Hey, you came" as well.

"I said I would didn't I?" he teased and she chuckled and was incredibly relieved that she could now find a valid reason for the blush creeping upon her cheeks at his expression of elation almost for bringing a smile to her face.

_It's just the room temperature._

At that moment the music stopped as well and brought forth an uncomfortable silence between them. That was until Claire made her presence known.

"Hi"

"Hey Claire." Jack responded feeling just a little intimidated by the blonde's personality. Judging by what he had caught a glimpse of earlier, he guessed she wasn't one to not speak her mind when she felt the need to.

"So you wanna get something to drink?" Jack proposed quite out of the blue, and suddenly felt like he may have come at this the wrong way. The last thing he wanted Kate to think was that he was some sort of pervert trying to get a girl drunk so he could do God knows what.

He could only imagine what the woman beside her thought at that moment.

"Uh, sure." Kate affirmed with a reassuring smile and with that he headed off towards the Bar leaving the two women to find a vacant table.

However the moment they did find one Claire came up with the sudden excuse that Charlie seemed to need her help with something and before Kate could see if she was telling the truth the blonde was off, leaving Kate to nervously await Jack's arrival.

It's only after waiting a whole two minutes or so that she suddenly realized she hadn't told Jack where she was and the moment she made the move to do so, he was already heading towards her, drinks in hand, and her favorite one at that.

"_Claire's handy work"_, she mused to herself in realization of it all. The excuse to dismiss herself in the first place, all of it.

"Here you go. Hope you like…." He started off and suggested towards the drink with a slight hint of amusement in his expression for having just been affirmed of what Kate liked and wanted. Not just the drink.

"_This Claire girl really was something."_

"I do actually, how did you guess?" She teased in a clear effort to play along with the moment and not just kill it with boredom instead.

"Well, let's just say a very perky birdie told me."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Claire can get like that sometimes, but I guess in her own twisted way she'd say that she was trying to look out for me." Kate tried to in a way apologize on Claire's behalf for being so indecently forward, but to a certain extent she didn't seem to mind completely and she knew he didn't either. If he did then he would have bolted by now.

All he did instead was place the drinks on the table and then himself on the stool directly opposite her.

"So, how is it?" Kate took it upon herself to ask when she sensed yet another exchange of uncomfortable silence between them.

"The drink?" Jack guessed feeling like it was a completely random thing to say but what then gained precedence of it all was the loud chuckle his oblivious response received. It was only then that he truly noticed how beautiful she was, and the natural warmth now spreading across her cheeks as a result of her uncontrollable laughter exuded her beauty even more.

"No I meant…..what, do I have something on my face?" Kate felt the need to ask when she felt him staring at her almost in awe but she assumed that anything happening along those lines this early in the relationship was just a tad absurd. And even if he was it wasn't like she was in the position to play along with it.

She wasn't going to play the same game Tom played with her.

_Being friends couldn't hurt though_, she reminded herself as she sat before a man she was undoubtedly attracted to physically. Although bit by bit the emotional attachment started to evolve as well. A little faster than she would have liked but again maybe it was just the natural attachment that came along with a typical friendship.

So why was the voice saying "yeah right" already lurking in the back of her mind?

"Kate, you okay?" she found herself being asked and snapped herself back into a reality that seemed to make the most sense at the moment.

"Yeah I'm just……Ahh enough about me. Tell me about you." She stuttered and literally wiped the smile off his face at the last minute.

_Where do I start_, he took the time to ask himself because he could literally give her an honest book's worth of his life. The real question was did he know her well enough to want to tell her everything. Including the one thing he did that drastically changed his whole aspect on life as a result.

"No I can't risk it." He firmly affirmed and then decided to award her with the basic stuff about himself. His fairly negligent parents and the addition of a long lost step brother who relied on nothing but to rival him in every aspect, and as much as it annoyed Jack at first he then opted to be the bigger man and make peace with it.

Still the guy annoyed him to no end and he wasn't all that hesitant on letting the woman across from him know it.

By the end of it she was astounded to say the least, but still she strived to return the favor and tell him a little bit about her own life. Taking note to keep the "T" word out of the conversation the whole time and thankfully he wasn't one to bombard her with the boyfriend question. Instead he chose to remain a genuinely interested listener to what she said and she couldn't help but feel incredibly touched that he cared enough to want to know her. Apart from Claire he was the one other person who seemed to care, even more than Tom and within that moment she couldn't help but wonder "what if".

However it would have to be saved for another time as the club was then filled with the sounds of "Jet boy, jet girl" by the Bamboo kids. Her favorite song and the instant smile of elation was enough to confirm it. That along with the "we have to dance", and Jack had never been more terrified in his life, mainly for himself because the last time he danced was in his room back in the year 1987.

As if sensing his hesitance, Kate begged him with her eyes and he rolled his eyes, knowing the puppy dog look all too well, and with that he allowed himself to be dragged onto the packed dance floor. Gaining a surprisingly immediate rhythm that made Kate honestly wonder why he was so scared in the first place. He was a good dancer.

All he needed was to loosen up a bit more.

So with that in mind she turned herself around and rested her back ever so slightly against his large and sturdier form. Gently swaying her hips to the rhythm of the song and willing his to slowly join in on the movement as well. The effects of this seemed to work wonders and in no time he wasn't only dancing, but occasionally stealing the spotlight from her with a few moves of his own.

"Wooooo" Kate hooted along with many other gathering spectators in the club as Jack continued to allow his body to become a sole slave to the rhythm. That was until the song ended, stilling Jack in complete shock of what he just did, but to be honest he had never felt so carefree in a good long while. So he humbly accepted the deafening applause and hooting from the crowd around him, Kate of course being the loudest supporter.

(Some time later)

"Wow, I can't believe I just did that." Jack voiced in astonishment as he walked Kate to her dorm room as offered by him earlier on, and Claire much to both Jack and Kate's amusement said that she need to stay with Charlie to help him pack up with the band.

"And I'm more than glad I was there to see it." Kate said as she playfully nudged his side while sub consciously looping her arm around his. The gesture friendly yet intimate at the same time but they were still too caught up by the events of the night to let anything else matter.

Within a matter of hours she had seen a complete transformation of him, and within that time her longing to know more grew considerably.

"Well here's my stop." Kate declared as they approached the door to her room, and just as easy as that the moment reverted back into an awkward one. Or did it?

"I had fun tonight." Jack stated while keeping his eyes firmly trained on the brunette's every reaction to his statement.

"Me too." She humbly responded and made the daring move to look up and lock eyes with his. Rather taken aback by the sheer amount of focus and intensity within them. And it was all fo her?

"_It's too soon."_

Was it?

* * *

**Next chapter: Kate receives a call…… **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter ****6**

**A massive thank you and apology at the same time for not updating this in so long. I hope you guys can forgive me…..**

* * *

_Ring, Ring_

Came the sudden muffled sound through the door of her dorm room and it took Kate a few seconds to react to anything let alone the sound of a ringing phone.

Still she failed to move from her spot, leaning ever so slightly against the door when the heat of his stare breached well past the barriers of intimidation and more into fevered interest.

However the continuous ringing of the phone not only brought forth attention, but realisation as well, more so for Kate.

"I think I'd better get that." She proposed with a smile he soon shared in followed by a nod of affirmation.

"So I guess I'll see you…."

"Tomorrow." She finished, earning a chuckle from Jack in return and with one last look they parted ways. Kate's eyes briefly wandering south as he walked away and once he was out of sight, she proceeded to finally answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Katie." A voice spoke on the other end and for Kate there was no mistaking it.

"Tom?" she questioned in all shock of hearing from him considering the hectic schedule of a career he blatantly chose over her despite assuring her that it wasn't the case.

"Katie, I…" he started out and assuming where this was going she made the excuse that she had classes early in the morning, but he ignored it and came out with reason he called.

"It's your Mom. She was brought in unconscious a few minutes ago and…." He explained but broke off midway to try and ease the situation for her somewhat.

Already overwhelmed with panic, she immediately assumed the worst knowing how bad Wayne's temper could get, especially in his drunken state.

"What happened?"

"Tom, what happened? Is she okay?" she forcibly inquired, trying to stay calm, but at the same time finding it hard in light of his agonising silence. Tom's response then only confused matters more when he started rattling off a bunch of medical terms she had no knowledge or understanding of.

"So what's that mean?"

He sighed to himself, hating this part of the job, especially when it was a condition where next to nothing could be done about it.

"We found a tumour on the left side of her brain."

"A tumour?" she questioned in all fear of the condition and her fears only increased when Tom revealed that it was at a stage where medically speaking was virtually inoperable.

Still, his one vow of assurance was to do more tests and hopefully outweigh the odds in their favour. All she had to offer in return was her thanks and with that she abruptly hung up and packed for the long journey back to Iowa.

---------

Claire had more or less persisted to go along with Kate to the Hospital when the brunette called earlier and told her what had happened, but Kate was equally persistent in saying that she could do this on her own.

Reluctant to argue with her in this emotional state Claire relented somewhat, yet made Kate promise to keep her posted at every instance. Diane Austen was like a second Mother to her, especially during the time when her own resorted to alcoholism.

It was something Claire was both saddened and deeply discouraged by at the time, though with Diane's help Claire not only pulled herself through the depression, but also got her Mother to finally admit she had a drinking problem and seek the necessary help.

"If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be here today." Claire reminded herself every waking moment of the day knowing it was nothing short of the truth.

---------

He woke up this morning with a smile on his face. His head recurring events of the previous night, knowing he'd never had that much fun before.

"Kate"

He didn't know what it was about her that made him feel free and almost at ease with himself, even on the dance floor much to his surprise and embarrassment after the deed was done.

Never the less he was intrigued by her and would be lying in saying that he wasn't the least bit interested in perhaps knowing more.

However at the same time he knew that wanting anything more than friendship at this stage would be a tad premature and slightly indecent of him due to the fact that she was a student.

Besides he had been in enough spontaneous flings to know that they never work or last.

_Could this be just another__ fling?_

"I have a job to focus on." He firmly reminded himself, choosing to concentrate on that for the time being.

---------

The only thing that went through her mind now was what Tom had told her over the phone. A part of her still wanted to believe that it wasn't true, but unfortunately it was and that scared her for so many reasons.

Reasons that were apparent to her and nobody else, not even her best friend Claire.

Opting for some sort of temporary distraction from her worry, she dug through the glove compartment of her car in search of something her Mother gave her 2 years ago along with this car.

(2 years ago)

_"Are you excited?"_

_"Yeah." Kate replied but the woman across seemed far from convinced._

_"Okay, okay I'm scared." She relented with a sigh, stilling her packing for the time being cause continuing on would only bring the moment that much closer. The moment she would have to leave home and more importantly her Mother in the hands of a violent drunken excuse for a step Father._

_"Oh honey, it's perfectly normal to feel that way." The older woman assured, embracing her daughter assuming the real reason she was so reluctant about leaving but unwilling to bring it up cause in her eyes it wasn't Kate's problem._

_Not anymore._

_"I'm just worried that…."_

_"You don't have to worry about anything sweetie….." Diane cut her off, tightening her hold and replacing any tremble of emotion within her tone to firm assurance, "this is your moment to shine and be the best I know you are."_

_"Besides look how many grey hairs worrying got me." She jokingly added, and Kate chuckled whilst wiping away her tears._

_"Now c'mon I want to show you something." Diane then proposed and Kate looked upon her with nothing but curiosity yet followed her Mother downstairs and much to her amusement blindfolded when she was ushered towards the front door._

_"You got me a car!!"_

_"And this..." Diane finished while offering her an audio cassette labelled "the best of Patsy Cline"._

_Kate immediately laughed out loud at the gesture before thanking her Mother with a hug._

(End of Flashback)

Ever since then that tape had become almost like a way to remind her of home and without her Mother none of these memories would be as significant anymore.

"Please don't take her away from me." Kate then pleaded off any listening higher power above. Desperate in her plea to have her one form of stability against a world she was still afraid to face.

---------

His walk to the auditorium was spent in concise thought over what he was going to do and say once he faced her. However none of it mattered anyway when he walked in and saw that she wasn't there.

Assuming she was on her way, he went about preparing for the lesson, yet grew increasingly worried when he then saw Claire and Charlie walk in, Kate still nowhere in sight.

"Where is she?" he then wondered, knowing he shouldn't be as worried, but for some reason he was and couldn't seem to help it.

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**Next Chapter: Jack learns of Kate's whereabouts and reacts in a fairly surprising manne****r. Plus another surprise awaits for Kate.**

**If anyone is still reading I'd love to know what you think…**


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